My Vote Speaks of ‘Large Scale’ Rigging Scheme as Preliminary Results Give Lead to GD
My Vote, a local observer mission uniting dozens of Georgian civil society organizations, says it identified a “large scheme” to rig the 2024 parliamentary elections and will demand the annulment of the official results.
The briefing by Londa Toloraia, spokesperson for My Vote, follows the release of preliminary official results by the Central Election Commission, which gave the ruling Georgian Dream party a confident lead.
Toloraia said that “election day took place against a backdrop of serious and substantial violations,” adding that by the end of the day “it became clear” that various problems detected during the day’s monitoring of the electoral process “were part of a larger scheme aimed at altering the final results of the elections.”
According to Toloraia, “It became clear that a complex scheme had been worked out to rig the elections,” using methods such as “‘breaking down the verification system, violating marking procedures, and preventing observers from monitoring the voter identification process.”
My Vote pointed to “mass” incidents of voters being given two or more ballots instead of one during the first half of the day, and said there were also cases where the ruling party’s field was already marked on the ballot. The mission said it also “became clear” that numerous reports of confiscating or “renting” voters’ ID cards and collecting their personal information during the campaign were used to carry out the same rigging scheme.
“Precisely as a result of such manipulations, it was possible to secure the decisive number of votes in favor of the ruling party, which we all see now in the results published on the CEC website,” Toloraia said. The spokesperson also mentioned “unprecedented pressure” on observers during election day, including physical attacks, verbal insults, intimidation, and unfounded expulsions from polling stations. “In most cases, it was impossible to observe the voting process,” Toloraia said, adding that in some cases observers had to be evacuated from polling stations.
Media workers were also obstructed, the mission added, citing other violations such as the mobilization of aggressive unauthorized persons in and around polling stations, the use of criminal groups to intimidate and pressure voters, and the ignoring by law enforcement officials and the electoral administration of the violations, which, My Vote said, made it clear that the perpetrators had guarantees of impunity.
Other abuses cited included “unprecedented” mobilization of voters by the ruling party with cars, and “unprecedented” pressure on voters, including manipulation of voters by collecting their personal information during the campaign. The mission also noted a “deliberate collapse of the [voting] process” in overseas precincts due to a lack of space and registration staff shortages.
According to My Vote, as of 10-11 p.m., the mission’s observers identified 347 violations of the marking process, 89 reports of violations of the secrecy of the vote, 341 cases of unauthorized persons in the polling station, and 96 cases of physical violence, threats, and confrontations, as well as 163 cases of obstruction of My Vote observers.
The violations were “systematic” in some areas, including in Marneuli, Bolnisi, Kareli, Gori, Kaspi, Khashuri, Senaki, Gardabani, Gurjaani, Signaghi, Dedoplistskaro, Kobuleti, Sagarejo, Batumi, Zugdidi, Telavi, Chkhorotsku, Akhaltsikhe, Mtskheta, Akhalkalaki, Rustavi, Gldani (Tbilisi), Isani (Tbilisi), Samgori (Tbilisi), and Kharagauli districts.
Based on the above, My Vote says that the preliminary official results published by the Central Election Commission “do not reflect the will of Georgian citizens”. “We will continue to demand the annulment of the election results,” Toloraia concluded.
Also Read:
- Official Preliminary Results: Georgian Dream Leads with 52.99%
- Polls Close with 58,94% Turnout
- 2024 Election Live Blog
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